The young Frenchman has impressed everyone this season though, with some people referring to him as the next Marcel Desailly. Blues manager Mourinho certainly buys into that, saying that Zouma can actually replace Terry’s leadership in the future, according to the Independent.

With that in mind, we decided to take a look at the two defenders over this season and see how they compare.

First and foremost, the stats show that veteran Terry far outmatches his younger counterpart when it comes to tackles, 1.1 per game compared to Zouma’s 0.5, while he also wins more duels per game as well, 4.4 compared to 3.7.

Terry has also proved better in the air so far this season, winning slightly more aerial duels than Zouma, while he is also slightly lower when it comes to the number of fouls committed per game. He also manages to put in more blocks than Zouma, registering 0.7 per game compared to the Frenchman’s tally of zero.

Finally, and an important one given how Chelsea wish to play the game under Mourinho, is the accurate passes per game stat. Terry again comes out on top in this category, registering 39 per game compared to Zouma’s 21.

As always, stats can be misleading, and the former England man has played more games than Zouma. However, for now, it seems that Chelsea’s long-serving captain is some way ahead of his younger counterpart, despite what Mourinho may think about him replacing Terry in the future.

Sean Lunt

Sean Lunt is a Journalism and Spanish graduate with a passion for football. As an avid Everton fan he has survived the Walter Smith era, enjoyed the resurgence under David Moyes and is now wholly embracing the Spanish revolution with Roberto Martinez. Away from Everton he follows the rest of the football league and has a particular interest in La Liga.